


Out of Place

by Dfsemina



Category: Wizards of Waverly Place
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drabble Fic, F/M, Post-Movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 20:25:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 2,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11387757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dfsemina/pseuds/Dfsemina
Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.





	1. Dodge

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

She fled, running from the forceful winds that had taken her brothers, so much more tangible than the memories that were gradually slipping away. She ran straight back into the forest, hopping down ledges and over roots as if she'd been doing it forever. Fear had kept her going much longer than any gym teacher had been able to bribe or cajole her. But she was tiring and the storm was relentless.

She hopped down one more ledge and noticed the deep depression within it. She slipped into it, head pressed into the dirt wall. She closed her eyes and waited, tears burning beneath her eyelids. She had been stupid to run. She felt like a little kid hiding under the blankets, desperately hoping that being blind to the danger equated with negating it.

She listened to the storm grow closer and closer, until it drowned out all else.

And then it seemed to move away.

Still trembling in terror, she turned to look. It was moving away from her. On shaky legs, she stood, warily exiting her hidey hole. She watched as it continued moving away, becoming unstable as the winds calmed then dissipated.

Somehow, she had dodged it.


	2. Oddity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

Her whole life had been crazy from the start. In fact, their whole family's lives were nowhere near normal. So maybe that was why even Justin did not even notice it was odd. Though she thought that if it was not their lives at stake, if it was a scenario written in a book, Justin would have noticed the discrepancy as soon as Max was taken.

It was odd that the storm that tore her brothers away did not take them all at once.

It was odd that it did not take them in order.

It was odd that there were gaps in the times it came to take them.

But she realized that whatever force that was coming after them did so only sporadically. She did not know why. She did not think it really mattered. Understanding the whys and wherefores was Justin's kind of thing. She knew what she needed, that if she was careful she could avoid being taken. That was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 165
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	3. Pity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

After she had sat in the forest for a while, knew that at least for now she was safe, she had gone to find her father. She had been lucky to find him. He had not been looking for her. And why would he? He had no daughter.

This was a wizard who did not want to lose his magic for falling in love.

A man who ran a reasonably successful sandwich shop on his own.

A single man who lived comfortably on the profits of his shop without needing to pay for the needs of children.

Still, this man who was her father, but was not her father, was kind.

He gave her an offer.

He knew that soon she would disappear. That soon he would remember none of this. His plane back to New York left the next day. He would take her home, let her see the familiar sights once more and say goodbye to the life she had once lived.

An offer of closure.

And within that offer he revealed something much more painful.

He was not going to help her find a way to stay. No advice on bringing her brothers back.

And in his eyes she saw no love, only pity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 208
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	4. Heading Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

She was not able to find her mother before the flight. 

If she was honest, she did not really look. She felt terrible but relieved. She did not think she could take both of her parents looking at her without recognition, without love. 

Jerry did not sit next to her. Buying her ticket only an hour before the flight, it made sense. Neither of them tried to switch seats so they could sit together. 

Take-off made her feel sick to her stomach.

She kept her head carefully down and her eyes closed the whole time. She was in the middle seat, a position she had not gotten often. She could usually sucker Justin or Max into letting her have the window seat. With a body on each side of her, she could pretend they were right next to her. She spent the flight imagining she had pulled off some amazing prank on them both and they were both giving her the silent treatment. She could almost feel her lips pull into a familiar smug smile.

And then the intercom came on and they were landing.

Landing felt as jarring as the winds that tore them away from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 198
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	5. Sandwiches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

She sat at a small table in their—no, _Jerry's_ —diner. He had not opened to the public, an obvious attempt to be considerate. She stared down at the sandwich that sat untouched on her plate. It was an old recipe she had not eaten since she was a little girl. As she had grown older, all of the original recipes had been replaced by new ones until they stopped being made at all. Recipes she and Justin had made together, when they were little and close. Those she made with Harper when she got a bit older. Max's many 'masterpieces.' 

Somehow she forced it all down passed the lump in her throat in huge quick bites. She chugged the soda, barely feeling the burning from the carbonation. Then she pushed the plate and cup away. 

She had sat there, staring unseeing at the tabletop until the scraping of the chair across caught her attention. Jerry sat, looking awkward.

The memory of their meeting, of finding out who she was already fading. He would not remember her tomorrow. Her place was not here, an obvious plea for her to leave.

An apology, because there was nothing else he could say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 200
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	6. Daddy's Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

She had always been the type to take what she needed. She had also always been able to manipulate her father. For favoritism as the only girl. For money. But this time she felt guilt. She left the place she had called home with each of the books of spells and more money than her father had ever let her hold at one time. 

She had asked for the money.

She had stolen the books. 

In true Alex fashion, it had been impulse and done with more than a little bit of vindictiveness. 

Asking for money made it obvious she planned to stick around as long as she could. Proof that she was determined to find a way to fix everything. 

It was the first time he looked like the father she remembered. 

It was an expression of absolute certainty that he did not believe she could do it.

The look brought to mind all the times he praised Justin or looked to him for help. He never believed she could do anything. 

Nobody believed she could do anything. Not her parents. Not Max. Not even Harper.

Justin was the only one who ever did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 195
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	7. Sanctuary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

The Cave, she had called it. Her own special place. Her little art dungeon. For the first time since she had found it, she was terrified. It was an old abandoned tunnel. It had been creepy when she found it, overgrown with weeds and pitch black when you glanced inside. 

But something had drawn her to it. The day she found it, she stayed until nightfall. She had run home and come back armed with the most powerful flashlight they owned. She had pulled weeds until the inside of the tunnel was clear. Over time, she had gradually moved all of her art supplies there. Little by little, she had painted all over the tunnel walls. And after making it well and truly hers, she had come there often. 

She would paint or write. Sometimes she would lay down and dream. 

She hesitated. From its condition, she could already tell it would not be the same. 

Nevertheless, she entered. It was the only place she could think to go. 

She flicked on the light and set it down. She looked at the dirty grey walls, vines twisting over and over each other. 

She had a lot of work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words; 200
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	8. Research

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

Alex slammed the book shut and tossed the notebook at the tunnel wall. She sat down heavily and put her head in her hands. She had not worked so hard in years. She had always been terrible at book work and it had always been a problem. Even before she had stopped caring about grades and school she had had a hard time understanding the lessons. But she had tried back then. And failure had hurt.

_She was flushed with embarrassment and anger, tears of frustration stinging her face. Why couldn't she get this? It was not useful. She would never need it. It was not interesting. Why did she have to learn it? How was everyone else doing it so easily? Maybe she was just stupid?_

_“Alex?”_

_Justin peeked in from the doorway. Upon seeing her tear-streaked face, he slipped in. He took one glance at the book on her bed and knew what was happening. He swooped in, steering her out of the room and down to the kitchen. A snack was pressed into one hand while a juice box was pushed into the other. Then there was the waiting as she munched away and he watched her calm down. Then it was back up to her room for them, where Justin explained things better than the teachers ever could. And eventually she understood. She looked up at him, finally done with her homework and almost certain everything was right. And they would both smile._

_Then he tapped his index finger against her forehead and say, “Commit it to memory, okay Alex?”_  
  
Justin always knew when she was about to throw a temper tantrum. He always knew how to make everything make sense.

The notebook lay a few feet away from her, open with pages crumpling against the ground.

Failure still hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 305
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	9. Sanctuary Pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

Justin had his own version of The Cave. Whereas hers had canvas and paint, his had whiteboard markers and books.

_She looked at the dirty white walls and clutter on the long desk. Two packed bookshelves back to back in the middle of the room. She called him boring._

She had been wrong then. Had caught him on an off day. All of the walls had been covered, ceiling to hardwood floor, with well-used whiteboard paper.

_She froze at the doorway. The desk was still littered with papers and open books. But the walls were covered. Everywhere there were numbers, letters, and symbols. Diagrams of parts and pieces. Lines of things she would never understand in alternating colors. And Justin sitting on the floor, grin on his face as he finally got his robot for the competition to work._

_This was Justin's art.  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 143
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.


	10. Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

She made the mistake of passing by the diner on the way to The Cave that first time. She could not help but peek in. Through the window, she could see Jerry pushing things out from the kitchen window. Harper, in uniform, was taking the food and setting them on trays. Alex watched as she brought it to each person with her usual chipper smile. There was no camaraderie between the chef and the girl who had been her best friend. Nothing but typical interactions between employer and employee. 

She ran the rest of the way back.

She always took the long way back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 105
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	11. Work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

When she had bought the paints, the brushes, the canvases, she could hear Justin berating her in her head. Telling her that she should be buying food, supplies, something useful. But she ignored him as usual. If she did not have some sort of outlet she would go crazy. 

As she watched the couple walk away, her painting in hand, and stuffed the twenty dollar bill into her pocket, she knew it was worth it. 

While it did not break even with the amount she had spent on the supplies, they had said they would tell their friends. If she was careful, she could make something out of this. 

A smirk appeared on her face. If Justin were here, she would totally rub it in his face.

He would roll his eyes then smile because he would not be able to keep a straight face. The disbelief would be clear in his expression and then it would turn to pride. He would try to ruffle her hair and she would side-step easily, swatting his hand away.

She frowned. She was starting to forget his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 185
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	12. Forget Me Not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

Desperation was a great motivator. It was not about fixing the problem anymore. Not at the moment. She did not have the time. The next few days she barely left The Cave at all. She wrote until her hand cramped up and her legs went numb from sitting on the floor for so long. 

She looked at the small pile of used notebooks in front of her, dread settling heavy in her stomach. She had written everything she remembered down, from the color of her mother's hair to the feeling of the couch under her legs. A person's life should not be able to fit in a few notebooks. 

She tripped over the pile in her mad dash to get to the book on the other side of the tunnel. There had to be something she could do so she would not lose everything. 

Magic had always been the answer for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 152
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	13. Memory Theater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

A week later, she could remember nothing before the wish that ruined everything. But she was losing nothing after it, a small mercy. She had found a solution of sorts before she had lost everything. The beads hanging from the wall were cheap, bought for a dollar on clearance, but simultaneously priceless. In each one, a memory was held. All she needed was to touch one, close her eyes, and murmur a simple little spell. Then it would come to her, clear and crisp as if it had just happened. 

She had tried to keep them all, at first. Though the spell allowed her to regain the memory, it always faded later. It required too much time trying to keep them all. So she organized them, like DVDs put in alphabetical order. The ones she needed to remember daily easiest to access. Ones that would make her happy when she was feeling down. Words of encouragement from loved ones were in a place of honor strung across The Cave opening. The light filtering through them left the inner walls glittering. 

She wore those she loved most of all in a necklace she never took off. 

They were all of Justin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 200
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


	14. Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.
> 
> Summary: Drabble fic. Alternate take on the movie in which becoming a full wizard to reverse the wish is not an option. After Justin and Max are swept away, Alex flees. This time, she needs to figure everything out on her own. Possible future Jalex.
> 
> Note: Drabbles are in chronological order. However, flashback scenes will happen. They will be shown in italics.

Every morning Alex woke remembering nothing but her mission. Knowing only that she needed to reverse her wish. And from the wish that was the beginning of the memories that stayed, she knew she had put herself in danger of disappearing. Could guess that she used to have parents that were happily together. She could never remember she had brothers until she went through her daily routine of getting her memories back. Even with the absence of memory, she had a constant feeling of emptiness, of loneliness. 

And every morning she watched the minutes before Justin was taken.  
 _  
She was crying, begging him to remember. Pleading that he would not leave as the twister came closer. The sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized he did not know her. His face showing his confusion. Then he stepped forward, closer to her, determination in his gaze._

_“I'd never leave you. I don't know who you are, but I believe you.”_  
  
And she would be grateful that even as the memories faded the feelings remained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 175
> 
> A/N: Making the slow move to cross-post my stuff here on ao3. Haven't updated this in a while, but I'm prioritizing moving the fics that I've been thinking on working on lately. Have patience with me please, as all my stories are updated over time.
> 
> Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> Words: 200
> 
> A/N: Thanks for reading.


End file.
